A part of the greeting is to slip the elderly each a 5,000
toogrud bill (approximately worth $4.00). They accept it graciously without any
fanfare or protest. If we, as visitors, are the oldest, no money is
gifted.

Battsey - one of our co-workers greeting Darlene

Food. The food is displayed and served in a traditional pattern with lots of meaning associated with presentation. Then we are
seated by the food and offered “harem”, a fairly tasty drink of hot milk, salt
and other flavorings. We are offered a snuff bottle to admire and smell and
then return to the host in a traditional manner.

Getting full yet?

We are offered several
different kinds of salads (potato, carrot, cucumber and tomato, fruit) and
other side dishes we can put on our saucers.Before we eat, we are to eat something white – white candy, a milk curd or
white rice with raisins. There are copious amounts of candies and sweets within easy reach.

Harothsuren's husband is Chinese so there Tsaagan Sar presentation has more of a Chinese influence

We make conversation and have a leisurely visit. The food is served in courses. Each visit
is 1/2 to two hours in length. Once "boze" have been served or when new guests arrive, it is generally time to go. Guests are invited at certain times so that everyone
doesn’t arrive at once.

The elderly have the seat of honor

Aireg is mare’s milk that has been fermented. Aireg is generally passed sometime while you are eating. You are to take a small sip (or a
generous one) and pass it on to the next guest or back to the host who offers
it to someone else. It is bad manners to
be squeamish about the food. We bravely taste everything that is offered.
The amount of what you eat isn’t as important as accepting their hospitality.

If you are offered vodka – this doesn’t happen much in
church member’s homes – you can dip your right ring finger into the vodka and flick
it in three directions and then give the vodka back to the host without
drinking any. Drinkers, of course, imbibe.

Meat dishes. Meat
is carved from the sheep and served to the guests. It surprised us with how
tasty and palatable the meat was. The meal ends with a serving of “boze” (meat and
vegetable dumplings that have been steamed and are served hot.). There is a strong
expectation to eat generously and appreciatively of this offering. After
several Tsaagan Sar visits in the same day, this becomes more of an ordeal than
a pleasure so you have to moderate your appetite from the beginning of the day.

Visiting Battsey's family

Moderation in all
things. Darlene was hungry during her first visit and enjoyed the food. She
paid for it during the second and third visits of the day.

Easy does it

We both became quick
learners on what to eat and how much so we could demonstrate graciousness and
admiration of the food without massive indigestion later. Several of the Elders
or young missionaries learned the hard way that overeating has consequences.

Odgerel's family

Farewell gifts. When
we leave, we are given gifts, something practical and generally expensive.
Otherwise, it is box of expensive chocolates or candies. We both are given
gifts that have been thoughtfully preselected for each one of us. The generous offerings of
food and then gifts at the end of a visit far exceed anything brought to them.
We, too, are expected to graciously accept the gifts without protest or
fanfare.

Darlene and Gansukh

Enjoyable and
special. Each of our visits was special. Tsaagan Sar is a time for building relationships and strengthening
bonds. We learned and showed respect for Mongolian culture and were honored to
be included in their circle of family and friends.

Flower (in blue) and friends

It was fun but in the end, it was also an ordeal. Eight
visits spaced out over 3 days was about the right amount. One senior couple made six
visits in one day and their memories are not as pleasant as ours. I am looking
forward to next year but not any sooner. I am sure the host families feel the
same way.

1 comment:

What great pictures of the holiday! My first Tsaagan Sar was kind of hard with all the eating. I had never felt so full before. But the second one went better with knowing what to expect and how to pace yourself. You look great in your traditional clothing! Looks like you're getting lots of chances to use them. Keep up the great work! I love you two!

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